Paws to celebrate: New rental rules open doors for furry friends – realestate.com.au

Tasmania is the latest Australian state to give tenants the right to keep a pet in their rental property. The new rules will come into effect next month.

The landmark change means Tasmanian renters will no longer have to choose between a home and the pets they love.

The Residential Tenancy Amendment (Pets) Act 2025 will come into effect on Friday, March 20, 2026, bringing the state on par with other states in the country.

RSPCA Tasmania CEO Andrea Dawkins welcomed the move, saying the reform reflected modern community values ​​and strong evidence linking housing insecurity to poor animal welfare outcomes.

“For too long, RSPCA Tasmania has seen people surrender beloved pets simply because they couldn’t find a rental property that would accept them,” Dawkins said.

“This reform will keep families together, reduce unnecessary surrenders and ease pressure on shelters already under strain in response to cruelty, neglect and crisis cases.”

The ACT was the first jurisdiction to allow pets in rentals in 2019, followed by the NT, Victoria, Queensland, SA, WA and NSW, although details vary by state.

State and territory governments have been overhauling tenants’ rights in recent years to provide stronger protections for renters, including pet rights, limiting rent increases and banning no-fault evictions.

About one in three Australians rent, with many people spending more and more time renting as house prices rise and home ownership becomes increasingly difficult to achieve.

Tasmanian Small Business, Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Guy Barnett said the new rules marked an important moment for many Tasmanian households.

“Renters will no longer have to choose between having a place to live and the pet they love,” he said.

Tasmania joins other states and territories in allowing renters to keep pets. Photo: Getty

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“We know pets are part of the family, and our government has been working on the things that matter to Tasmanians, just like this reform.

“I thank the community, animal lovers and the real estate industry for working with us to ensure these laws strike the right balance and provide certainty for renters and property owners.”

Under the new legislation, Tasmanian renters will have the right to keep a pet in their rental property from March 20 if they make a formal pet request to their landlord before bringing a pet into the property.

Importantly, renters remain responsible for any damage to property caused by their pets beyond reasonable wear and tear.

Landlords will no longer be able to apply blanket ‘no pets’ rules in rental agreements, and they will have 14 days to respond to a tenant’s request.

However, a landlord can refuse a pet on reasonable grounds, including genuine concerns about property damage, nuisance or safety, and will have to make an application to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) if they choose to refuse a request.

“Allowing pets in rentals is not about removing safeguards for property owners – it is about replacing blunt refusals with fair, transparent and reasonable decision-making,” Ms Dawkins said.

“Other Australian jurisdictions have shown that these laws work, and Tasmania is now joining that national shift.”